John William Baier's
_Compendium of Positive Theology_
Edited by C. F. W. Walther
Published by:
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1877
[Translator's Preface. These are the major loci or topics of
John William Baier's _Compendium of Positive Theology_ as ed-
ited by Dr. C. F. W. Walther. These should be seen as the
broad outline of Baier-Walther's dogmatics, but please don't
assume that this is all. Each locus usually includes copious
explanatory notes and citations from patristics and other
Lutheran dogmaticians.]
Part One, Chapter Nine
On the resurrection of the dead.
1. That the soul of a human remains living after death, thus also
the body, which is destroyed through death, rises up again and thus
turns back to life, is most clear from Scripture; however by
natural reason it is not possible to know this certainly, but it is
not allowed to oppose this.
2. However the resurrection of the dead consists in this, that the
body, destroyed through death, from matter, in which it was
constructed, is reproduced and reunited to the soul or, by one word,
rises and thus becomes one with the soul.
3. The principal efficient cause of the resurrection is the triune
God and Christ the God-man.
4. The impulsive internal cause of the resurrection of the dead in
general is divine justice and especially, in respect to the pious,
rewarding justice, in respect to the impious, punishing justice.
5. The impulsive external cause in respect to the resurrection of
the pious is the merit of Christ apprehended by final faith, in
respect to the resurrection of the impious it is final impenitence.
6. The subject Which of the resurrection are all dead humans, not
only the pious and faithful, but also the impious and unfaithful.
7. The subject by Which is the body itself exactly, which everyone
had in this life.
8. The nearer goal of the resurrection of the dead in respect to
the faithful is the full participation in blessedness; as far as
the unfaithful it is the completion of damnation. The ultimate goal
is the glory of the rewarding and punishing divine justice.
9. The resurrection of the dead is described as a work of the
triune God and of Christ the God-man, proceeding out of the divine
rewarding and punishing justice, by which all humans, and indeed to
the faithful or pious on account of the merits of Christ, received
by final faith, however to the unfaithful and impious according to
the number of their own sins, the bodies, which they had in this
life, receives a reuniting to their soul; the former to the
fullness of blessedness, the latter to the final participation of
damnation, both to the glory of God and divine justice.
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This text was translated by Rev. Theodore Mayes and is copyrighted
material, (c)1996, but is free for non-commercial use or distribu-
tion, and especially for use on Project Wittenberg. Please direct
any comments or suggestions to: Rev. Robert E. Smith of the Walther
Library at Concordia Theological Seminary.
E-mail: smithre@mail.ctsfw.edu
Surface Mail: 66000 N. Clinton St., Ft. Wayne, IN 46825 USA
Phone: (260) 452-2123 Fax: (260) 452-2126
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file: /pub/resources/text/wittenberg/baier: cpt-1-09.txt
.